I extend a heartfelt thank you to the many volunteers who helped unpack, shelve and bag the items we gave out during the community outreach program, which ran March through October.

Also, we could not have done this program without Second Harvest Food Bank and all the public’s donations. We are so fortunate to have so many caring and generous people.

A big shout out and thank you goes to Whitehall-Coplay Press staff for allowing me to share our WCHI outreach program updates, along with interesting food articles, every week.

I do want to name a few people who helped us get to where we are right now: the Rev. Martha Seip, St. John’s Lutheran Church, Fullerton, and the Rev. Bola Akomolede, Redeemed Christian Church of God, Coplay, who allowed us to use our summer breakfast locations as our food distribution sites. St. John’s also allowed us to use the social hall as a makeshift pantry.

With everyone’s help, we fed almost 1,500 Whitehall and Coplay food-insecure residents.

There were many volunteers, but I want to acknowledge the people who helped almost every week: Rhonda Bastian, Tiffany Benson, Diane Davidson, Mick Dee, Jenn Dietz, Jenny Deifer, Betty Duffy, Tom and Lauren Ganser, Donna Genevese, Ella Gutman, Jacob, Andy and Linda Hausman, Don Hayn, Pam Johnson, Marie Kolumber, Gail Kramlich, Pat Karo, Melissa and Cole Kubic, Pat and Steve Lorenz, Tom Noctor, Heather Reph, Leta Riddell, Magdalene Riggins, Liz Rodgers, Leah Saliby, Melissa Sassaman, Lana Snyder, Jeff Warren, Larry and Charlene Weiss and Heidi Wrobel. I know I am forgetting some people, and I apologize.

At the same time as the outreach program was operational, Anne Chickilly and her husband, Erik Segan, were working just as diligently growing vegetables at the Mickley Prydun Farm, an effort facilitated by Warren, a Whitehall commissioner.

Chickilly and Segan donated 100 percent of their fresh produce to be distributed for both the community outreach program and the Mickley Run apartment outreach program, which ran through the summer.

Thank you to Mark Molitoris and DanJon Management for allowing WCHI to provide lunch given by the Greater Valley YMCA for Mickley residents during the summer and for allowing WCHI to continue providing food for the residents through October. WCHI will resume the yearlong Mickley outreach program once the new pantry is up and running.

Without Warren, we would not be opening our new WCHI food pantry or expanding the garden at the Mickley Prydun Farm. He told me about the Lehigh County COVID-19 Relief Non-Profit Block Grant opportunity for 501(c)3 nonprofits.

Karo and I wrote for four days and submitted the application. We received the $217,000 we requested for the pantry and expansion of the garden.

This year, we have been so very fortunate. Every step of the way, everything just fell into place! We entered into a contract with St. John the Baptist Church to use the former Christ the King School cafeteria as our new food pantry. Thank you, Monsignor Gobitas and Barb Sukanick.

WCHI also has a contract with Whitehall Township to continue to expand the garden at the Mickley Prydun Farm. Thank you, Mayor Michael Harakal Jr.

A big shout out and thank you also goes out to the Hokey Fire Hall members and volunteers who continue to help us unload our Second Harvest orders every week: Brandon Fisher, Ashley Hermany, Alli Gillette, Josh Keppel, Mark Roth, Dani Wanish and Joey Wildman, fire hall manager.

They helped us unload more than 6,000 pounds of food this week from Second Harvest and $1,500 worth of donated food from a BB&T grant that Sharon Geroulo, vice president at BB&T, wrote, received, purchased the food and delivered.

Everyone’s yearlong generosity to help the food insecure in Whitehall and Coplay is truly appreciated by so many! Thank you all for everything you all have done.

Happy holidays!